Melbourne players mourn selfless former coach Dean Bailey

Melbourne footballers joined football's grieving family in paying tribute to their former coach Dean Bailey on Tuesday, a man they hailed for his honesty, kindness and care in always putting others before himself.

Jack Grimes said Bailey, who died in Adelaide on Tuesday morning aged 47, was "so much more than just a coach at Melbourne for a few years", and someone who always saw that those around him came first while putting himself last - to his own detriment.

"There were definitely times as players where we felt we were the ones to blame, but that was the type of person Bails was - he tried to cop the brunt of it and protect us," Grimes said of Bailey's 83 games as Demons' coach from 2008-11, which brought only 22 wins.

"Bails was exactly what he came across as in the media. When the time was right, sure he'd give us a serve, as all coaches do, but Bails never didn't show care towards the playing group. If there were times like that he'd always follow up, that's the sort of person he was, he cared about us as people and wanted us to grow as men."

Related Content

Jack Trengove, who shared captaincy duties with Grimes under Bailey's tenure, said he fondly remembered the day Bailey walked through his front door in Adelaide to size up his character ahead of the 2009 draft, in which Trengove was taken with pick two.

"As soon as I shook his hand I felt at ease with him. He was such a great man, one of the kindest humans I've ever come across, someone who really looked out for you as a person," Trengove said.

Advertisement

"Footy was really secondary thing in the whole scheme, he was just there to try to get the best out of every individual player on his list and build those relationships. He was a real father-figure role model.

"Coming over from Adelaide, leaving my family back there and starting a new life in foreign city... He was always there for support."

Colin Garland praised Bailey's impact on the club's indigenous players, and his sense of caring in driving the playing group to attend the funeral of Austin Wonaeamirri's father on the Tiwi Islands, and his pilgrimage to Yuendumu to experience Liam Jurrah's community.

"When we look back at the time Dean was at the club, our indigenous players really played well under Dean, he was really respectful of their culture, and respectful of the fact that wherever you were from, you had the chance to play AFL footy," Garland said.

One of the boys: the late Dean Bailey with his players at Etihad Stadium. Photo: Sebastian Coastanzo

Demons football manager Josh Mahoney described Bailey as a significant person in his life. Bailey, who first met Mahoney when on the playing list at Essendon, was infuential in recruiting Mahoney to Port Adelaide, where the former rookie played in the 2004 premiership. He then had a role in Mahoney's move into coaching at Melbourne.

"He was a friend and a mentor through that whole period," Mahoney said. "What he brought to the AFL industry was a guy who was just honest, in the end he just loved AFL footy. He wanted people to develop.

"You've seen the outpouring of messages from players, the impact he has on people he meets. He was infectious, his love for the game."

Mahoney and the Melbourne players extended their heartfelt sympathy to Bailey's wife Caron and their sons, Mitch and Darcy, imploring the AFL community to "come together and help the family get through a really tough time".